


If I Could Be Where You Are

by FallLover



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Final boss spoilers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Sex, M/M, Major Character Injury, Post-Credits Spoilers, Post-Epilogue Spoilers, canon-typical dying all the time, game expansion I was thinking of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:20:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28516308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallLover/pseuds/FallLover
Summary: Zagreus runs into Icarus in Elysium, and wants to help him reunite with his father. Along the way, he runs into some new Olympian allies, and has trouble talking about things with his loved ones.
Relationships: Thanatos & Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 24





	If I Could Be Where You Are

**Author's Note:**

> While playing too much of this game I was thinking about some more gods and characters they could introduce/expand on, and some other lore they could play with. So for now this is just kind of playing with some of that. Not sure what it'll turn it into just yet.

A shade waited outside the stadium as Zagreus headed out from another successful bout with Asterius and Theseus. Although it was always difficult to tell ages with immortals and shades, particularly when shades cloaked themselves in the normal miasma of death, Zagreus thought this one looked… young-ish. Perhaps he perished when he was a young man? Closer up, Zagreus could see that the shade was lithe, slightly shorter than Zagreus, and had tan skin and curly hair. Zagreus wondered when he had died, and from what.

“Please, Prince,” the shade said, bowing. “I beg a moment of your time.”

Zagreus glanced at the entrance to Styx – so near, now – then looked back to the shade and smiled. “I have time. What is it you need?”

The shade looked up and smiled back, brightly. “Thank you, my lord! I have heard you are the son of Lord Hades, so perhaps you know his architect, Daedalus? Or… at least I have heard that you use Daedalus’ machinery to improve your own weapons to battle your way through these realms. So… perhaps you are simply familiar with him that way.”

“I have never had the opportunity to meet Daedalus,” Zagreus explained. “Though he _has_ been very helpful.”

The shade’s expression fell. “…Oh. I see.”

“…Did you wish to meet him?”

The shade’s expression brightened again. “Yes! More than anything!”

Zagreus considered the man. “What is your name, shade?”

“Icarus.”

Zagreus’ eyes widened. “You’re…?”

“Yes. Daedalus is my father. I have not seen him since I died, but I heard some time ago that he came to reside here. I thought we might run into each other – it makes some sense that he would be sent to Elysium, after all, but… I have not seen him. And I never saw him when I resided in Asphodel.”

“You… used to reside in Asphodel?”

“Yes. But then I was moved here some years later, though I don’t know why. The guards wouldn’t tell me. They simply said this was where I would stay.” Icarus shrugged. “But I don’t mind the change. It’s certainly far nicer here.”

Zagreus frowned. “That’s… interesting. How about this? I will see if I can locate your father, and when next I’m here, I’ll hopefully have news.”

Icarus’ eyes shone at that. “Really?”

“It would be my pleasure. I’ve wanted to meet Daedalus for some time, even before I started my escape attempts. And certainly now, I wish to thank him for his help. I’d be happy to pass on your words to him. Maybe see if he can come visit you.”

“Thank you, my lord! Thank you!” Icarus reached into a satchel at his waist and said, “Please, let me offer you something. It’s not much, but I have these.” He held out a feather fan, a filled vial, and a small round gadget of some kind. “The fan should increase your speed when moving, the hot wax, when applied, is magicked to make you harder for enemies to harm when you apply it to your skin. The third is… well…” His eyes misted ever so slightly as he considered the odd device. “It’s something I designed in my father’s workshop. It runs on its own, and can attract enemies for you, as a sort of decoy. It can only take so many hits before it is destroyed, but I should be able to build you another by the time you return, if you wish.”

Zagreus considered his options and took the decoy. Upon closer inspection, it was a complicated little thing, and Zagreus wondered if it ran half on magic, given most items he received on his escape attempts. “This is fascinating. I’ll give it a shot. Thank you.”

“I am honored, my lord. May it serve you well! I will be here, next time, as well!” Icarus waved as Zagreus walked off.

Zagreus hefted the gadget, which looked… vaguely insect-like, and had what was clearly some kind of winding mechanism. Nyx had given him toys like this as a child. He assumed it worked the same.

As Zagreus entered the central chamber of Styx and turned to the labyrinth’s hallways, he was surprised to see a symbol he hadn’t seen before. A bright sun shone above one door. Curious, he chose that path.

As he stepped into a room of slathering satyrs, he wound the gadget up quickly and set it on the ground, not knowing what else to do with it. The gadget beeped twice, then zipped off towards the satyrs. They snarled at it and spit, but of course the little gadget didn’t care. While the creatures were distracted, Zagreus raced forward to cut them down. The satyrs barely paid Zagreus any attention during the fight, as they kept going after the little mechanical insect.

When everything was dead, Zagreus knelt to pick up his helper. It was slightly dented, but the wind-up tool still worked, and it seemed to still be usable. It lasted him another two rooms before breaking apart, and its pieces dissolved.

“You did well, my friend,” Zagreus said in the direction where it had disappeared, going toe to toe with a sea of rats. “Thank you.”

* * *

As he finished the final room, he breathed hard and studied the new Olympian symbol thoughtfully, feeling its warm light on his skin. There were two gods this could be…

He stood up, cleared his throat, and reached for the boon. “In the name of Hades! Olympus, I accept this message.” The light grew golden, and Zagreus winced at the sudden burst of sunlight, which was even brighter than usual. He heard horses stomping and neighing in the distance.

“Ah, and here I thought it might be in vain for even my light to reach down into the darkness of Hades.”

Zagreus blinked his eyes clear and saw the image of a mostly nude god wearing a thick red cape, with a golden halo around his head. His skin was a golden brown and his eyes a pale gray. His curly brown hair fell down his back, and he held a set of horse’s reins.

“But I see at long last I have reached through that endless darkness, at least when you are close to the surface. But fear not, cousin, I’ll help you reach my true sunlight.”

“Lord Helios,” Zagreus said, bowing his head slightly. “It is an honor.”

Helios chuckled. “I see even one born in the darkness loves the sun. Then, accept my blessing.”

* * *

Hades was _not_ impressed when Zagreus’ dashing kept blinding him, and grumbled _constantly_. “Blood and darkness, what did you find this time!?”

“Have you spent so long in the dark, Father, even in this sheltered entryway, that you’ve forgotten what sunshine is like?” Zagreus asked, grinning as he raced forward with another sword swing.

As Zagreus finally slid to a halt at the end of the fight, victorious, he turned his face up to the sky. It seemed like the usual cloudy skies weren’t as thick as normal. He even felt a little lighter.

As he returned to the House, he looked around, knowing the usual hallways. He spotted Hypnos, yawning loudly as usual, and walked over.

“Hypnos… do you know where Daedalus resides?”

“Hmm…” Hypnos tapped his pen to his chin. “Daedalus… Daedalus…” He grinned, raised his pen, and continued, with his usual smile, “Can’t say I do. I’m sure he’s around here somewhere.”

“…Thanks.” Zagreus turned away, as Hypnos was already nodding off. Zagreus headed for the west wing to see if Thanatos was around. As Zagreus stepped around the corner, towards the balcony, Thanatos turned to smile at him.

“Zag… back again after another success?”

Zagreus shrugged, smiling gamely. A look from Thanatos was more than enough to make his skin tingle. "Well, when you put it like that..."

Thanatos shook his head, still smiling. "I heard Meg often asks you to help her with paperwork."

“Um… yes?”

“Care to um..." Thanatos cleared his throat, clearly nervous about this. "Help me with some... paperwork?"

Zagreus flushed ever so slightly. “Uh... of course!”

* * *

Afterward, they lay together on Zagreus’ bed, nude. Zagreus had his head in Thanatos's lap as Thanatos ran his fingers through Zagreus' hair.

“Hey, Than…” Zagreus started, staring at the ceiling.

“Mmmn?”

“Do you know where Daedalus lives?”

Thanatos' eyes narrowed slightly. “The architect?”

“Yes.”

“…I might. Why are you asking?”

“I found his son, Icarus, in Elysium. He wants to see his father again.”

Than sighed. “Are you butting yourself into someone else’s business again, Zag?”

Zagreus smiled. “I suppose. But… Icarus clearly misses his father. I can’t quite imagine the feeling, myself, and… I just want to help, if I can. And maybe Daedalus misses his son, just as much.”

Thanatos rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll tell you. But if this comes back to bite you--.”

“I know.”

"...You're too kind-hearted. Damned if I don't like that about you, though."

Zagreus smiled.

* * *

Zagreus walked down the corridor Thanatos had spoken of. It was well past the rooms he was used to in the House, where Megaera or Thanatos kept their chambers. Even deeper than he’d ever gone exploring in years past, when he’d been bored and curious and Nyx, Achilles, Cerberus, or serving shades hadn’t been watching him. He smiled, thinking back on fond memories.

Of course it was also a reminder of how limited his childhood felt. Nothing but corridors, training areas, archive rooms, some bedrooms, the lounge, and a few other unique rooms. He often wondered why he hadn’t tried escaping earlier.

Of course it hadn’t seemed possible, earlier. Not until Nyx had reached out to help.

Wandering like this almost put him of a mind to do even more exploring after he found Daedalus. If his escape attempts had taught him anything, it was that there was more to the world he once thought was so small, and now he had the ability to explore to his heart’s desire. Likely, as an adult, there was more that he’d missed from his childish wanderings.

But he had work to do. A thought that made him half-stumble, since it sounded so like his _father_.

Finally, he arrived at a huge set of doors carved with what looked like gears stretching up to the ceiling, similar to what he’d seen in Styx, only they were dark green rather than bronze and gold.

He reached forward and pushed the doors open.

Inside was a large hall filled with more gears and the sounds of machinery moving. Diagrams of various machines coated the walls. Small flying gadgets flew through the air. Zagreus ducked as one shaped like a tree flew by his head.

He could hear someone humming, and headed towards the noise.

The source of the humming was a man with dark skin and long, curly dark hair tied back in a tail, sitting at a large table covered in more diagrams, tools, bits of detritus clearly being used for various projects, and half-made gadgets. He stared at something in his hands.

“Excuse me?” Zagreus asked, quietly. “Daedalus? Sir?”

The man flinched, then turned.

Zagreus stared.

Daedalus wore some of the oddest spectacles he’d ever seen, with multiple layers of lenses. It might his eyes look enormous. His sleeveless arms were covered in various scars, almost like Sisyphus.

Zagreus wondered what they were from.

“Yes?” Daedalus replied, his voice somewhat quiet, but gentle. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Zagreus, son of Persephone and Hades. I was actually hoping to help _you_ ,” Zagreus said, stepping forward. “I met your son, Icarus, in Elysium.”

Daedalus stiffened. “You… did?”

“Yes. He wants to see you again. He misses you, dearly.”

Daedalus grimaced, and looked down.

After a moment, Zagreus said, “You could go visit him any time.”

“I cannot,” Daedalus replied. “My contract with Lord Hades dictates that I am to remain here, in exchange for Icarus being allowed to reside in Elysium.”

“You signed a contract for that?”

“Yes. When I arrived here, Lord Hades wanted me to work for him. I said my price was Icarus going to Elysium, where he could live in peace. I knew I would never find Icarus on my own, so…” He shrugged. “Such as it is, that is how it is.”

“I could find the contract,” Zagreus offered, “And nullify it.”

“What?” Daedalus stood up. “No! You’d send him back to Asphodel! Or worse!”

“No, that—I mean, that’s not how it is! Icarus would be able to stay in Elysium. But you could visit him there.”

“…But how?”

“As Prince, I have the authority to do as I will with old contracts.”

Daedalus grimaced. “…I see.”

“…You don’t seem very excited.”

Daedalus sighed. “You offer me something I’ve wished for so long… It is hard to imagine. But… I do not wish to endanger my son. Is he not happy as he is? Why can things not stay as they are?”

“Your son clearly loves you and misses you. Why don’t you want to see him?”

Daedalus winced. “I _do_ want to see him. But the last time I tried to do something that helped us both… I lost him. I cannot do that again.”

“You won’t lose him,” Zagreus said. “I swear to you.”

Daedalus watched him for a moment, then sighed again. “Very well. Do as you have promised. And we’ll see. I’ve heard of you, Prince Zagreus, though we haven’t met. You seem to have a knack for completing the impossible, so I’ll believe. I suppose.”

Zagreus smiled. “I’ll try to work quickly.”

Daedalus shrugged. “As you say.”

As Zagreus headed for the door, he paused and looked back to add, “Thank you, by the way, for your hammers. They’ve done wonders for me.”

Daedalus tilted his head. “Ah, yes, those silly things… I figured someone should get some use out of them. Glad to hear they’re doing someone some good.”

“They really have.”

Daedalus cleared his throat. “Well… off with you, then. Go and do as you promised.”

* * *

Zagreus looked all over the House for Nyx, but she was missing again.

“Probably off with Chaos,” Zagreus opined. “I’ll never find that contract without her.” He frowned. “I could go find Chaos’ realm, see if she’s there…”

So he set off on another escape attempt.

The first two rooms were pretty normal, but as he beat another chamber, he noticed one of his choices bore an Olympian symbol he hadn’t seen before: a black and purple torch above an adder.

Zagreus frowned, and walked towards it. The door drew up at his touch and let him through. Of course, what greeted him in the room was four Wringers, who still hadn’t noticed him. He _hated_ Wringers.

Zagreus adjusted his grip on Exagryph and leapt forward.

At the end of the battle, which went quite well, Zagreus turned to the glowing Olympian symbol waiting for him. The black and purple torch and adder stared at him.

Zagreus cleared his throat and said, “In the name of Hades! Olympus, I accept this message.”

Laughter and distant screams of rage filled the air as the goddess Eris appeared before Zagreus. He’d seen pictures of her before. Tall and pale like Nyx, and with her mother’s long dark purple hair and sharp features, she wore a dark purple chiton, and large black bird’s wings spread from her shoulders.

She smiled at Zagreus, but it wasn’t a friendly smile – more like he was something she was planning to eat. “At long last! I have heard much of my little foster brother from my other brothers. Thanatos in particular has even mentioned you in the rare moments he deigns to converse.”

“Lady Eris, it’s an honor to meet you.”

“Of course it is, young man. And you’re using Exagryph, again, and with my aspect! Such fun we’ve had together… and you, too, it seems.” Her eyes seemed to glitter at him. “So many dead, such chaos in your wake…”

“It is a wondrous weapon,” Zagreus replied, not knowing what else to offer. “Your aspect has been quite helpful for my progress.”

“Of course! Hestia chose well when she made it, even if it really needed my improvements!” She chuckled. “But, more to the point, it’s been so busy up here since Athena brought us together to help you escape. I do adore the liveliness! And we wouldn’t want the liveliness to _end_ , now would we?” She raised her hand, and light covered him for a moment.

Then she was gone.

Zagreus blinked, confused. He couldn’t feel anything notably different, and wasn’t used to not being offered a choice of boons at all.

“…Well, hopefully it was something good,” Zagreus said to himself. “If not… it’s not like I can do anything about it.” So he headed off.

His run of luck earlier apparently made him a bit overconfident, though, and he _had_ agreed to one too many of Hades’ Pact punishments. Which… was not great when three more Wringers kept coming after him non-stop, just before a band of Spreaders appeared, and he was knocked off a ledge. He fell down what was apparently a steep cliff, and barely had time to cry out before he knocked his head, and everything went dark.

When he woke, _everything_ hurt. Exagryph had deactivated and disappeared, and when he tried to move his right leg, it felt like he was being stabbed, and he cried out in pain.

Wherever he was, was very dark, though he could see the dim green lights of Tartarus off in the distance. His feet also let off a slight golden glow in the area, although everywhere he looked outside the tiny pool of light around his feet was just… dark.

Wind whistled in the distance, and Zagreus had the sense the place he’d fallen into was open, but not quite _empty_. He wasn’t alone. And he couldn’t see anything. He curled into himself a bit for safety, and shut his mouth on a pained groan. He was reminded of Hades’ warnings that the Underworld outside the House was a dangerous place, and clearly Zagreus hadn’t explored all there was to see. He almost wished he was in Erebus.

It was then he felt a bit of warmth on his back. As he turned back, he froze, surprised to see… the glowing light of another god he hadn’t met before. Their symbol was of a firepit aglow. Apparently something had drawn more notice to him, with all these new Olympians reaching out.

He opened his mouth, coughed, cleared his throat a bit, and said, quietly, “In the name of Hades! Olympus, I accept this message.”

The loud crackling of a bonfire filled the area, and a burst of Olympian light blinded him after so long in the dark.

When he blinked his eyes clear, he saw a seated woman near an enormous fireplace, holding a deadly poker. Her bright orange hair fell in waves around her dark brown skin, and her red eyes glowed. Her chiton was covered in flame patterns, and a fiery laurel crown, not that dissimilar from Zagreus’ own, floated above her hair.

She smiled at him. “At least we meet, little flame. I see you bear my beloved Exagryph, and it has served you well. Though… perhaps not in this moment.” The corner of her mouth twitched ever so slightly. “It seems Eris has been at work.”

“Lady Hestia,” Zagreus said, before a heavy cough wracked him. He quickly continued, “My apologies for not appearing at my best… It is an honor.”

She chuckled. “I understand your escapes are fraught with such perils, though you often don’t survive them. Nonetheless, let us see if I can aid you a bit, so that you may make more use of Exagryph.”

Her power filled him, soothing his leg a little, though the hurt wasn’t entirely gone. He sighed, and after a moment, reopened his eyes.

Hestia was gone, and he was back in the dark. It was far more oppressive now.

He sighed. “Well… I guess asking for a lift would have been a _bit_ much.” He lay there for a bit, considering his circumstances, before reaching to his belt and pulling out Mort. The little Cthonic Companion had blessedly stuck with him during his fall. He squeezed the plush and thought of Thanatos.

The familiar “guh-dong” sound filled the air, and Zagreus looked towards the center of the green light as Mort’s previous owner appeared nearby, filling the area with green light.

“Than…” Zag said, smiling. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”

Thanatos looked around. “What in Hades are you doing down here?” He floated over and looked down over Zagreus, and his gaze narrowed even more. “You’re hurt worse than usual.”

“Yeah. Damn Wringers.” Grabby little disembodied fists, always chaining him back.

“…This isn’t usually what Mort is for.”

“Eh heh… Yeah. Desperate times, and all that, eh?”

“…Mort shouldn’t have worked. You’re not in the middle of combat.”

Zagreus blinked. “But… how else did you know to come here?”

Thanatos frowned. “I heard you calling me and came. But it was strange… I almost thought it was some kind of mimicry, for it was so different from the usual times you use Mort.”

“…How odd.”

“Have you accepted any new boons lately from gods you don’t know?”

“ _Than_. They’re trying to help me.”

Thanatos shrugged. “It’s just a thought.” Thanatos stared at him, then knelt and picked him up. “Grab onto me.”

Zagreus tried not to squirm too much as Thanatos maneuvered him into a bridal carry. “You sure you can help me like this?”

“You’re far out of the bounds of even your escape attempts. I imagine your father would be quite cross if you were lost out here. But I won’t risk teleporting you. Which means… the slow way.”

They floated up towards the brighter green light of Tartarus.

“It’s good to see you, in any case,” Zagreus said, snuggling up to Thanatos, wrapping a hand playfully around Thanatos’ side, brushing his skin over the cloth.

Thanatos chuckled. “You too, Zag. Just… try not to fall off of any cliffs in the near future, hmm?”

Zagreus laughed. “I’ll do my best.”

“And you’re really all right?” Thanatos asked. “That was… quit the fall.” It was taking them some time to make it up the cliff side. Thankfully there weren’t any monsters in the area. Possibly scared off by Thanatos.

“The goddess Hestia healed me.”

“So it was bad,” Thanatos said, his tone dark.

“But it’s fine!” Zagreus insisted, coloring, pulling away slightly from Thanatos, but not so much that he made the other god fumble mid-air. He was thankful Thanatos wasn’t quite looking at his guilty expression. “And besides, I didn’t _die_. So it wasn’t _that_ bad.”

“You and I both know there are worse things than death.”

Zagreus swallowed. “True.”

“…You know you can talk to me about it, right?”

“I do.” Zagreus stayed quiet for a while longer, though. “I… Yeah.”

“Zag…”

“Look, you found me, and that’s all that matters. We’re going to go back up, you’ll drop me off, and I’ll be on my way, all right?”

“I don’t think it was all right.”

Zagreus thought Thanatos would stop so they could talk, but Thanatos kept going up until they passed the edge of the ledge, and Thanatos floated down and deposited him on the floor.

“…Thanks, Than,” Zagreus said, looking around thoughtfully.

“Don’t mention it,” Thanatos replied. He was watching Zagreus guardedly, though.

Zagreus grimaced and looked back to the doorway to the next room. Thanatos had brought him to one of the rooms he’d already cleared, so he had a breather before he moved on. He could just… go.

He sighed instead and turned back to Thanatos. “It was just… dark, okay? I wasn’t used to it.”

“…Many humans fear the dark.”

“Yes, well, I’m not human.”

“Queen Persephone has mortal blood from her father. There is a little in you.”

“I’m also the son of Hades, god of the Underworld. And Nyx raised me. It’s hardly…” He frowned. “I don’t know. I think I was just… surprised.”

“You were also, I imagine, _gravely_ injured, and alone, in a new place. Of course I’m sure this had nothing to do with your fear.”

“Eh heh, _Than_ …” The god was always able to see right through him.

Thanatos grimaced, then said, “My apologies. I don’t mean to be mocking.”

“It’s… It’s fine. I can see you’re just worried about me.”

Thanatos reached a hand out, hesitantly, but pulled back after whatever he saw on Zagreus' face. “…This conversation is clearly making us both uncomfortable. Talk to me when you’re done with this attempt, then, assuming we don’t run into each other again before then. Please… be more careful.” He studied Zagreus a moment longer, nodded, and disappeared.

Zag smiled softly, then grimaced. “I didn’t even tell him about Eris. Well… I guess we’ll talk later. He turned back to Tartarus, sighed, then summoned Exagryph.

“Again.”

**Author's Note:**

> Eris is mostly a rip-off of the animated version in "Sinbad" (2003), along with some wings people have used for her elsewhere. She's my favorite weapon aspect, so I'm very biased, which is sad, because I have no ideas for how to design her lol But I do love her "Sinbad" design. Her hair is just... The Best. One mythology website noted her symbols include a burning torch, for the devastation caused by war, and a hissing adder for fear and evil. I was going to use a snake holding a poniard, but I like fire and fire + poniard is too similar to Ares' symbol for me. Originally, he was going to run into a new area to find Eris, then I had him discover Eris when Thanatos dropped him off, but it makes more sense that she'd kickstart some stuff, and I like the idea of Chaos not being the only one to curse people, particularly given Eris' usual skillset. Oh, people always give her an apple? Hmm... guess that's just a missed opportunity, not like we'll see Eris again, huh? ;D
> 
> Helios is apparently depicted naked a lot while wearing a red cape as he rides his chariot. Hestia I kind of thought of as the embodiment of fire. I'm not sure why I stuck so many gods involved with flame/heat/burning/the sun/light in one chapter, but well... that's how it is lol. Zagreus appreciates it.
> 
> I also kind of figured that since Icarus is Daedalus' son, he might have stuck around his dad's workshop and learned a few things. Or just played with stuff, as kids do. The wax thing is "I can't figure out what to have Icarus gift someone, so... wax in the myth was supposed to hold his wings together, thus, magic wax = strength?" I don't know, just roll with it.
> 
> Next time... Zagreus meets Icarus again! And huh, Zagreus DID mention there were two gods that sun symbol could have been for : D


End file.
